Crucial Conversations: Weiss and Blake
by charmeleon123
Summary: After their fight against Torchwick, Weiss and Blake's friendship is still a little rocky in lieu of the Faunus issue. The two girls need to talk things out before they can move forward in their friendship. But avoidance is always easier. What will it take to restore their bond? Post Volume 1.
1. Chapter 1

**Time for more crucial conversations! I was left kind of unsatisfied with Weiss and Blake's relationship post Torchwick conversation, so I decided to write my own. I did deviate a little from canon to get the desired effect, but for the most part tried to stick to what we know from the main series. Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Always looking for ways to improve. Enjoy!**

**I do not own Rooster Teeth or RWBY. **

_Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!_

It had been about a week since Blake had uttered those fateful words. When they'd found her again, Weiss had been so flustered from the various emotions swirling inside of her that she'd cut Blake short in the most Schnee-save-face way possible. Blake hadn't said much of anything else that day, or in the days following that big weekend, and Weiss had chosen to avoid the topic altogether by avoiding Blake. Blake, for her part, did her best to tactfully steer clear of the heiress by unspoken agreement. It was only a matter of time before Ruby caught on, and after giving them some time to work it out and seeing that it was going nowhere, she decided to try to set things right herself.

"Weiss, why aren't you talking to Blake?" Ruby asked point blank during one of their study sessions.

"Wha—what do you mean?" Weiss stammered.

"Don't play dumb Weiss, you know what I mean." Weiss looked up to see Ruby's eyes fixed on her in concern.

_Drat. Just when I thought we were about to escape notice._ How in all of Remnant was she supposed to explain to this innocent child how she felt? Yes, Ruby had lost her mom, but she'd had a loving family and friends to surround her. She had never seen anything wrong with anybody, and her mom had died making a choice to save countless others.

Weiss was different. She'd grown up hating the Faunus; they had been nothing more in her eyes than half-breed animals with a lust for power and human blood. Schnee blood especially. She remembered countless times her father had yelled expletives about the lower species, or how back when her mother had still been sober, she had tightened her hold on Weiss's hand every time a Faunus was spotted. The violent tactics of the White Fang in recent years had only served to reinforce her view that the Faunus were greedy thieves intent on stealing wealth from those who had worked so hard to obtain it. They would stop at nothing, even murdering innocents, to prove their point, all while lying to the rest of the world about their so-called discrimination.

When she'd first walked onto Beacon's campus, she'd been shocked and utterly horrified to realize there were Faunus just walking around here, let alone studying to be Huntsmen. Though upset that she hadn't been chosen as team leader, she'd been secretly relieved that none of her teammates were Faunus (_what a fit Father would throw if that happened!_ she remembered thinking). Her sentiments had begun to change as she learned the history of the Faunus for the first time in Dr. Oobleck's class, and she'd only recently come to the conclusion that not all Faunus were evil as a result. Still, she'd been convinced that those deranged enough to be part of the White Fang must be the embodiment of pure evil. Why else would have so many innocent board members and politicians died at their hands? She wasn't dumb; as heiress to the SDC she was well aware of her father's less than reputable business practices of late. She'd even begun to wonder if what her father believed about needing to keep the Faunus in check with their working conditions was actually legitimate. But it wasn't like it was just the Faunus; there were humans working in the Schnee quarry too and everyone got the same working conditions and benefits.

Regardless, everyone knew that Jacques Schnee held the real power, and everyone else deferred to him. The Faunus must be really stupid if they thought killing replaceable subordinates would change anything.

So when she'd said as such at the docks, she hadn't expected anyone to contradict her, much less Blake of all people. Blake was neither stupid nor heartless, and while Weiss loved Ruby, if given the choice she would have chosen Blake as her partner over her red-headed dork of a leader. From day one, Ruby and Yang's sisterly dynamic had stretched Weiss's patience to the thinnest. The goofballs, as lovable as they could be, were absolutely oblivious to the excessive amount of noise they made, could never sit still long enough to read more than a few pages let alone study without serious help, and did whatever fun antics they felt like doing without regard for duty or consequence. Granted, Weiss exerted some level of control over Ruby as her partner, and Ruby had shaped up more and more after their teammate talk. But neither Weiss nor Ruby possessed any influence over the older rambunctious blonde, and for that reason alone Blake staked her claim as a valuable asset to the team, able to keep her partner in relative check. Sure, Weiss and Blake had started off rough too, with Blake's snarky comment about the SDC in defense of crater face Ruby exploding a hole in front of the school. But that didn't really count. She'd been hard with everyone, and it had taken that sharp reprimand from Professor Port for her to see that. Once she'd gotten past that and started actually being a decent teammate, Blake had been a refreshing drop of sanity amidst the chaos of the adorkable sisters. Intuitive and perceptive, her quiet introverted ways helped to temper the flaming dragon's personality, which extended to her hyperactive red fluffball of a sister. With Blake she could actually have an intelligent conversation, and they'd shared many discussions over various topics late into the night and worked together to ensure their partners did their homework properly. Weiss respected Blake as a fellow scholar and teammate. And unlike the other two, Blake understood Weiss's need for peace and quiet from time to time, a matter Weiss greatly appreciated. She liked Blake. Or had. It was all so confusing now.

It was one thing for Blake to be a Faunus. It would take time, maybe, but even she could understand that not all Faunus are evil. Velvet had been nothing but sweet the first time they'd met, and though at first Weiss had been suspicious of what ulterior motives she had, time had proven that Velvet had none and simply wanted to be friends.

But the White Fang? They were pure evil, on the same level as the Grimm. They deserved to die. And Blake had been part of that? Did she even know Blake? Was all of this teammate business just an act to cover the ninja's secret desire to annihilate humanity? And the Schnees with it?

"Uhh, Weiss?"

Weiss snapped out of her musings to find Ruby still looking at her with those wide innocent eyes. _I can't tell her any of that. She wouldn't understand._ "We're fine, Ruby."

"Weiss, you're not fine." Ruby reached out and grasped Weiss's hands, which she only just realized were clenched into tight fists. Ruby started to massage them open, and Weiss forced herself to relax, opening up her hands and slowing her breathing. "There, see? I'm fine," she said with a fake smile, hoping to draw Ruby's attention away. _It's absurd anyway. Blake is my teammate, but it's not like we're required to be best friends or anything. If she chooses to support a group as degenerate as the White Fang, that's her problem, not mine._

Ruby looked dubious, and was opening her mouth to say something else when Weiss blurted out, "Please Ruby, Blake and I are alright, okay? Just…just drop it. We have to study."

"But Weiss—"

"We have an exam in Dust Theory tomorrow morning, can you tell me who discovered fire type dust?"

"Uhhh, no," Ruby said sheepishly.

"How about the refinement process for lightning dust?"

"Isn't it just like all the other dust types?"

Weiss smacked Ruby lightly on the head with her book. "No you dolt, because lightning dust is especially volatile and has the potential to destabilize if not handled properly. It must be distilled in a special rubber coated machine with an additive to keep the dust stable."

"Psh, I knew that!"

"Oh really? Repeat to me what I just said."

As Ruby attempted to repeat everything (and failed miserably), Weiss held her breath. _Here's the cinch. If I do it right, she won't come back to the previous conversation._

"See? This is why we need to _study_, Ruby. You're our team leader; we can't have you failing now can we?"

Ruby hung her head and muttered, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Seeing that everything was moving according to plan, Weiss softened her tone. "It's okay Ruby. I believe you can do this." Ruby looked up, eyes glowing, and Weiss couldn't help but genuinely smile at Ruby's happiness from her comment. "Let's get back to work?"

"Okay!"

Weiss reviewed the different types of refinement processes for various dust types, quizzing Ruby along the way until her answers were satisfactory. When Weiss suggested moving on to studying the various methods of dust application and Ruby obliged, Weiss breathed an inner sigh of relief. _Good. Hopefully she forgets everything about Blake for awhile. Or forever. _


	2. Chapter 2

Since Ruby had gotten nowhere with her partner, she decided to try talking to Blake next. The perfect moment presented itself just a few minutes before Professor Goodwitch's combat class.

"Hey Blake!"

"Mm."

"What's up with you and Weiss?"

"Huh?"

"You and Weiss haven't been talking lately. What's going on?"

_Leave it to Ruby to notice_. Ever since Weiss (and her team, but it was Weiss she was concerned about) had found out about her Faunus heritage, she'd had an anxious pit in her stomach. Sure, Weiss had treated her far better than she had expected, still referring to her as a teammate and cutting back on the scathing comments. But she'd also made a pointed effort to interact with Blake as little as possible, which was still discriminatory.

_I guess I ended up being right after all._ She'd been minding her own business when that vial of dust had rolled to her feet. It hadn't taken long for her to put two and two together, having seen the Schnee logo too many times to count. She couldn't help but answer Weiss's disdainful arrogance with a snarky comment, and was a little surprised when the heiress retreated rather quickly. _Cowards, all of them. Hiding behind white-washed walls,_ she'd thought at the time. _Prissy, arrogant, condescending and sharp as an icy snowflake…just what you'd expect of a Schnee. _And she had been certain she would never get along with the heiress.

But then suddenly the cold-hearted ice queen turned the tables and decided to save the little red-headed dork she'd been yelling at the day before (and probably yelled at a few minutes ago). Blake shouldn't have been surprised; she supposed the heiress wasn't going to let anyone die. But then she did it again, pulling Nora out of range of the Deathstalker with her glyphs while herself and Ren tackled it long enough to distract it. And then she would turn around and make some sort of look-down-your-nose remark that turned off all but the master of being nice, Ruby herself. Only for her to suddenly start being actually nice to Ruby. Relatively so, because she still barked, but somehow the two of them had managed to strike a balance between sharp and teasing in their retorts. She wasn't sure what had happened between the two, but Blake could see some of that child-like Ruby excitement slowly seeping into Weiss's character at times. Blake didn't know what to make of it, and remained wary. Being on the same team made her even more certain her decision to hide her true identity was the right one.

After weeks of observing Weiss though, she shocked herself one day when she realized she'd begun to develop a certain respect for her. Her dedication to becoming a Huntress and the effort she exerted to reach that goal was admirable and inspired even their goofy leader to buckle down. Weiss was skilled in many areas, though her boasting confidence in her exceptional skill made her annoying that way. Still there was more to the heiress than met the eye, and it was only a matter of time before some of these qualities began to show themselves. She'd been surprised to discover that Weiss craved solitude almost as much as she did. And Blake realized relatively early on that the heiress's sharp bite was simply a mask for her doubts and lack of self-worth. Plus, it was a credit to the SDC princess that she studied the Faunus Revolution just as diligently as she did other subjects, though perhaps her desire to excel in every area prompted that particular behavior. Still, Blake had carefully watched Weiss' interaction with other Faunus, and while she didn't exactly go out of her way to be nice to them, she didn't tease them either like curdled Cardin, which was more than she had ever expected from a Schnee. Other than that, she'd found her discussions with Weiss delightfully insightful and appreciated Weiss' consideration for others, even if she had a more hardened way of showing it. She could be counted on to be honest, and it was clear she cared about all of team RWBY, Blake included.

Until that day. Blake still cringed inside thinking about it. She'd begun to think that maybe she and Weiss would be able to get along after all. And then Sun had shown up, and everything she'd thought went out the window. She'd tried to give Weiss a chance to take back her words, but when it was clear she wasn't going to, Blake had stepped in. Normally she enjoyed a friendly debate with Weiss; Weiss had a strong mind and followed trains of thought that Blake would never have thought of on her own. But that argument had been the most mentally and emotionally exhausting conflict she had ever faced.

Back in the White Fang, she'd only been pitted against strangers. But this was on a whole different level. This was Weiss, her teammate, and someone she had started considering a friend. This was the girl who knew she preferred tuna over salmon and tea over coffee, who knew the current book she was reading and actually enjoyed hearing her thoughts on it (unlike her blonde partner), and who had teamed up with her to get the two sisters up to academic par. This was the girl who had saved Ruby and Nora on the second day of school, and was working her butt off so she could save others. And it was this same girl now judging the very essence of her character, calling it filth, trash, and a whole score of other names that made Blake's heart hurt. She had never been so angry and so hurt at the same time.

After defeating Torchwick, her stomach had dropped when Weiss appeared. She had been prepared to defend herself against all sorts of verbal and potentially physical attacks that Weiss would inevitably throw at her. But she had still been utterly unprepared for Weiss's response.

_Stop. Do you have any idea how long we've been searching for you?_

Wait what?

_Twelve hours. That means that I've had twelve hours to think about this. _

All those weeks spent watching Weiss, and Blake still didn't know what to make of the heiress. After mulling over their short exchange, Blake came to the shocking conclusion that Weiss still cared about her, even though she knew now that she was a Faunus and potentially a White Fang member. She had searched for twelve whole hours. She could have refused to accompany Yang and Ruby and just go back to their dorm. She was the Ice Queen after all; she had no problem turning down anything. But instead, she had gone out with the other two in search of her. It was this fact alone that made Blake wonder if there was any hope at all. Because all of the Ice Queen's other actions seemed to say otherwise. Between walking out the moment Blake walked in to any room, to asking Ruby to get books from the library for her, to always making sure Ruby or Yang sat between them in class, Weiss was clearly doing her best to ignore her existence. She wouldn't pretend it didn't hurt. But she could play the same game.

"Blake? Hark to Blake!"

The sound of Ruby's voice brought Blake back to the present. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

Ruby crossed her arms. "You've been spacing out for the last three minutes."

"Oh, I was?"

Ruby sighed. "Don't play dumb with me. It's bad enough Weiss already did."

"What…what do you mean?"

"There's something going on between you and Weiss, and ever since that Torchwick fight nothing's been the same! What's going on?"

"N—nothing." Blake put on her best wide-eyed innocent look as Ruby glared at her.

"There isn't nothing going on!"

"Umm…yes there is?"

"Iorderyouasteamleadertotellmewhat'sgoingon!"

Blake sighed. _Like that kind of order would ever get me to talk seriously. _"Weiss and I are fine Ruby."

"Pfft, likely story."

RRRIIIIIIINNNGGGG!

The bell signaling five minutes until class startled them both.

"Blake?"

"Come on Ruby, we can't be late for class."

"But you still haven't—"

"Please, Professor Goodwitch has already yelled at us twice this week, and I'd rather not face another unhappy Goodwitch again."

Ruby narrowed her eyes at the cat faunus. "…Fine. Have it your way." Ruby gathered her books into her bag and headed toward the door, then looked back at Blake. "But I _will_ get to the bottom of this."


	3. Chapter 3

But for a week, Ruby showed no signs of doing anything of the kind. Thus, Blake (and Weiss) were unprepared for what Ruby had in store.

It was Saturday night, and they were about to go hit up the Valish movie theater. Blake was excited because it was the premiere weekend of Howling at the Moon, her favorite book second only to Ninjas of Love. Even after discovering Zwei was the author, she couldn't deny the genius-level storytelling and couldn't wait to see how the movie turned out. Though Ruby and Yang were more into action adventure type movies, they were looking forward to seeing this one just to see how amazing Zwei was. And Weiss of course adored the corgi the most out of all of them.

As such, Blake was already dressed and ready two hours before the movie started. She had to stop herself from constantly telling Ruby and Yang to hurry up in her excitement. Still, Yang saw the look on her face and grinned.

"Relax Blake, we've still got an hour and a half til the movie starts."

"I know…but you better not take _forever_ with your hair."

"Now look here missy." Yang pointed a finger at Blake. "These golden locks are the pride of Vale. They need a lot of caring! Don't you, beautiful?" Yang addressed the last question to her hair, caressing her golden locks and making weird noises that Blake simply rolled her eyes to. Nothing new with this goofiness.

"Hey Blake, can you grab my hood from the closet?" Ruby asked.

"Sure."

Impatient to get going, Blake hurried over to Ruby and Weiss's walk-in closet. Weiss was in there trying to choose an outfit. She turned around as Blake walked in.

"Hey Ruby—" Weiss startled as she realized it was Blake. "Oh, B—Blake, did you need something?"

"Ruby asked me to grab her hood for her."

"Oh. It isn't in here. It's in her dresser outside."

"Oh okay."

Blake turned toward the closet door and tugged on the handle a few times.

"It's locked."

"What?!"

"It won't budge."

"That's impossible!" Weiss strode to the door and rattled the handle so hard Blake was worried she might tear it off.

"Stop, you're going to tear the handle off."

"There isn't even a lock on the inside! This is impossible. Maybe the door got jammed." She kicked the door to no effect.

"Ruby, the door got jammed!"

No answer.

"Ruby?"

"Yang?" Blake called out. "Get us out of here!"

"What did you say?" Yang's voice was muffled.

"The door's jammed, help us out!"

"I can't hear you, what was that?" Yang said in a way that meant she could hear every word clearly.

"Yang, cut it out! We're serious!"

"What's the matter?" Ruby sang.

"Ruby, you dolt, get us out of here! The door is caught!" Weiss screeched.

"Mmm…no."

"What?!"

"Nope."

"Yang!" Blake yelled.

"I'm with Rubles on this one."

"But—but why?"

"You two have some serious talking to do."

"That's ridiculous!" Weiss yelled.

"But—but the movie's going to start!" Blake blurted out.

"You care about a ridiculous movie at a time like this?"

"What's your problem, princess? You were jumping up and down about ten minutes ago!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Ugh!"

"See? This is what I'm talking about," Ruby quipped.

"Shut up!" Weiss and Blake yelled at the same time. They blinked at each other in surprise, then turned away from each other, uncomfortable now that they'd both spoken at the same time.

"Just proves her point all the more," came Yang's sunny voice. "Don't even think about trying to bust out until you've made up. You have the Yang guarantee that you'll fail."

"Meaning we have a good chance of busting ourselves out."

"Haha, very funny Blake. Let's just say you won't like it if you try."

"Oh yeah?"

"Unless you want all of your stuff covered entirely in dog hair and poop. _Including_ your limited edition Ninjas of Love."

Out of the corner of her eye, Weiss saw Blake go pale. As much as she was at odds with the cat faunus at the moment, she couldn't help but have a slight amount of pity for the poor girl.

"You would never!"

"Ruff!" barked Zwei.

"See? Zwei agrees with me." Yang said.

"Don't think we let you off the hook either, Weiss!" Ruby called out.

"A little dog hair isn't going to bother me, especially if its Zwei's!"

"Nope. But an F in class might!"

"What?!"

"We have it rigged so that busting out triggers a highly disrespectful e-message to be sent from your scroll to all our professors. When they see that message, let's just say they'll be less than happy."

"You can't do that! You don't even know how to do something like that!"

"Don't I?"

"Huh?"

"All I needed was your birthday and a little Scrollsearch and wala. Access to your account."

"You're bluffing," Weiss retorted, but out of the corner of her eye Blake could see Weiss trembling on the verge of an anxious breakdown.

"I'm also a weapons geek, which automatically makes me a techy person. You know that."

At that, Weiss blanched. "I swear Ruby, if you send that message—"

"I won't! But only if you and Blake talk and figure things out."

"Better hurry up if you don't want to miss the movie!" Yang called out.

"Good luck! We'll let you talk," said Ruby.

"Wait don't leave!"

"…"

"Ruby!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Yang!" called Blake.

Silence.

"…"

"…"

"…I should have known Ruby would try something like this," Weiss sighed.

"She tried to talk to you too?"

"Naturally."

"I guess nothing gets past her."

"No, nothing does."

They remained silent for what seemed like an eternity, still facing opposite directions, the tension in the air palpable. Finally, Blake worked up her courage and spoke up.

"I—I suppose we should talk then."

No response.

"Weiss?"

Still no response.

_Here I am, actually trying to make an effort and she won't even listen to me!_ Angrily, Blake spun around and strode toward the heiress, covering the distance in two strides. Grabbing her by the shoulder, she forcefully turned her about.

"Hey!"

A glyph appeared between the two girls, shoving Blake backwards. Caught by surprise, Blake slammed into Ruby's side of the closet scattering some of her clothes and hangers on the floor. Weiss only had a second to comprehend what she had done before a hanger slammed into her face. Unbalanced, she cried out and fell rather ungracefully onto her bottom. Propelling herself forward with a shadow clone, Blake crouched over the heiress, one hanger pointed at Weiss's throat and a second raised above her head ready to deal a blow.

"Take it all...just…please…please don't kill me." It came out as little more than a whimper, and it was only then that Blake noticed Weiss's hands raised in surrender and her eyes scrunched tight in fear. She was trembling. A stab of pain shot through Blake's heart and her hangers wavered in the air.

"You're…you're afraid of me."

Weiss opened her eyes then at the sound of Blake's voice. "Blake?" The image of the snarling White Fang member with dual knives changed with a blink into an uncertain Blake with hurt in her eyes.

"Blake! I'm—I'm sorry, I just…I…this place…" Weiss shook her head as if trying to clear out a bad memory. Blake tensed, wondering if this was a ploy to let her guard down or if this rare break in the Schnee's composure was genuine.

"… I'm sorry," Weiss whispered.

That alone convinced the faunus that Weiss meant what she said. The heiress never apologized once if she could help it, let alone twice. Blake lowered her hangers to the floor and sat down next to the heiress. Weiss started to sit up only for her hand to slip. Blake immediately reached out and caught Weiss behind the shoulder. Another glyph appeared but not before Blake had shadow-cloned out of harm's way, prepared this time. Still, Weiss didn't miss the glimmer of hurt in her teammate's eyes.

"Blake! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that."

_That's the third time she's apologized already. Something must really be affecting her. _"It's okay, no harm done." She returned to her place next to the heiress, keeping her guard up for any other subconscious glyph flares.

Weiss noticed and dropped her head, saying softly, "But I have. I've hurt you." She turned her head away and quickly brushed her eyes once, hoping the faunus wouldn't notice.

Blake saw and her gaze softened. "I can see there's a lot more going on right now. Can…would you like to tell me?"

The gentleness in Blake's voice was too much for Weiss's heart to handle, and she curled up and put her head in her arms so Blake wouldn't see the tears streaming down her face. _You blubbering bit of nonsense, stop crying dammit! _She'd never told anyone what had happened that night. Winter had been there too, and the one time Weiss had started to bring it up Winter flew into such a rage against the low life who'd almost murdered her little sister that Weiss had immediately dropped the subject and never brought it up again. Still, the faunus haunted her dreams sometimes and she would wake up in a cold sweat.

"If you don't want to, that's okay."

"No! I—" Weiss paused. Should she tell Blake? Would it cause more harm than good? She'd already hurt the girl enough. "I just don't want to hurt you anymore."

"I doubt anything you say could hurt me right at this moment. But even if it did, I'd rather hear it than not."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Weiss still looked reluctant though, so Blake added, "Plus, if you didn't tell me I'd probably die from curiosity. Cause you know, curiosity killed the cat."

A light chuckle escaped Weiss's lips before she could stop herself. To distract from her break in composure, Weiss quipped, "You're starting to sound like Yang."

"No, she wouldn't have been smart enough to think of that joke."

"Fair."

They shared a smile at the blonde's expense before Weiss grew serious again. The joke, as crude as it was, had given Weiss the courage to move forward.

"This place…brings back memories."

Blake caught the change in tone. "This place? You mean this...closet?"

Weiss took a deep breath and started talking before she could lose her nerve. "This is a lot to say so please don't interrupt me until the end. Otherwise I doubt I'll be able to say it all." Blake acknowledged her request with a gracious nod that Weiss returned. She took another breath.

"When I was little, I used to hide in the closet all the time," Weiss confessed. "It felt…safe. The sound of my parents screaming at each other and glass bottles shattering was muffled by the clothes. So every time a fight was happening, I went in there. Winter knew. She would always fetch me once everything was over. " Blake's eyes widened at this new glimpse into the Schnee heiress's childhood, but remained silent.

"One night I woke up and heard fighting again. It sounded different somehow though. There were loud shots and bangs. I had never heard gunfire before. So I went in the closet and waited there for Winter to come get me when the fighting was done." Weiss hugged herself. Blake listened intently, cat ears cocked forward under her bow.

"I heard footsteps in my room. They didn't sound like Winter's, but I was too scared to notice. Then I heard the closet door open." Weiss visibly shuddered. "'Winter?' I called out. But it wasn't her." She took a breath, trying to calm down the sudden panic that welled up inside.

"He—he never said a word. Just unsheathed his knives and spun them as he walked toward me. I backed away, calling for Winter, but Winter wasn't there. I—I couldn't see his face because of his mask. But he had two horns on his head and he looked…looked…" Weiss took a shuddering breath. Blake thought Weiss looked like she would break at any moment and wanted to show her support, but remembered at the last minute that Weiss could take a friendly touch the wrong way and restrained herself. So instead, she scooted a little closer to the heiress, being careful not to touch her. Weiss acknowledged the gesture with a slight nod, and swallowing, continued softly.

"Monstrous. He looked like a monster out of a nightmare. He tried to attack me and I put my hands up. It was the first time I'd ever used my Semblance. He flew backward but got up quickly. The glyph was weak, after all. My aura was weak before I started training. He advanced and I panicked. He knocked me down and held his knife over me. And then he finally spoke."

_You Schnees stole everything from me! And now I'm going to take it back._

_T—take it all! Just please…don't kill me._

_You don't understand. My daughter is dead. I will make Jacques Schnee feel the pain of losing his daughter too._

_Please! Th-there's l-lien over there-_

_You arrogant bitch! All the lien in Remnant will never bring my daughter back! I'll rid Remnant of every last Schnee that exists and the world will finally be pure! Starting with you. _

_GET OFF OF HER!_

"Winter had finally come," Weiss whispered. "She had only started training her Semblance for a few months. But she knocked him aside with a glyph and immobilized him with another one. She called my name and I ran to her. We escaped out the window using her glyphs to jump down a few feet at a time. By then the police had arrived. We waited with an officer."

Weiss let out a breath and Blake realized she had been holding her breath too. "Father came out next. I wanted to run to him but Winter held me back. I didn't really understand what was happening at the time. But I think Father was more angry that the White Fang stole five thousand lien from the family vault than about the fact that someone had almost murdered his own daughter. Winter told me to keep quiet, so I did. Mother came out last, carrying Whitley. I don't even think Father noticed."

Blake thought Weiss was done and opened her mouth, but Weiss continued, "Father was in a rage for months afterward. That was when he started tightening the security and adding his own measures on top of what Grandpa Schnee had put in place. We found out that it was one of his closest business advisors who had leaked information to the White Fang, hoping to gain a profit from what they stole. I learned that day that you can't trust anyone. Especially a faunus." Weiss stopped, and when she didn't continue, Blake spoke up.

"I'm…sorry Weiss. What happened to you was horrible."

"It's fine," Weiss said, even though both of them knew it wasn't. "The Schnees have always risen above every obstacle they have faced. We will survive and we will thrive." Weiss's eyes hardened and she straightened up a little. Blake simply nodded, well acquainted with the Schnee mantra.

"What I _don't_ understand, is why."

"Why what?"

Weiss studied her hands. "Why the White Fang wanted our blood. Why they _still_ want it to this day." Weiss looked up, fixing on Blake with a steely glare. "And why you were part of all that."

**More to come! Stay tuned for an update. :) **


	4. Chapter 4

It was Blake's turn to sigh. "I…don't know where to start."

"You could start by explaining how the White Fang is supposed to be innocent if all they've done is try to kill and murder people." The steel in Weiss's voice could not be mistaken.

"The White Fang wasn't always that way."

"Excuse me? I was a child when they tried to kill me!"

"I—" Blake paused, then went on. "Just…please listen."

Weiss's eyes widened as she realized she'd just asked Blake to do the same for her only a few minutes ago. She hung her head in shame and nodded, clasping her hands in front of her. Blake shifted so that she could lean against Ruby's dresser behind her, one leg stretched out and the other bent up as a place for her arms to rest. For a few minutes no sound could be heard except their quiet breathing, and Weiss almost blurted something out just to end the silence but stopped herself just in time. Just when Weiss couldn't handle it anymore and was about to ask Blake if she'd finally gathered her thoughts, Blake spoke up.

"I remember the very first time. I was only five. It was the first day of school." Blake's ear twitched under her bow. "I was skipping to the lunch tables and accidentally tripped over the foot of some third grader in the hall. I said sorry and went on my way. It wasn't enough." Weiss was torn between trying not to laugh at an image of little Blake skipping and skepticism at how this was supposed to tie into the White Fang. "At lunch he and his buddies cornered me."

_Look what the cat dragged in!_

_She's the one. The filthy little animal that dirtied my shoe earlier. I had to scrub it for a whole ten minutes to get the filth off. Still not clean. _

_You're gonna pay for that, you little piece of trash!_

_Aww, you scared scaredy-cat? You better be._

"They jeered and called me names and pulled at my ears. I was confused and scared. I didn't really understand what was going on. All I knew was I didn't do anything wrong and it hurt when they grabbed my ears. So the next time one of them reached a hand toward me, I bit it."

_Careful, the beast bites!_

_Wild savages, all of them!_

_You don't belong here! Go back to the jungle!_

_I'm gonna make you bleed so bad, they won't recognize your face. Pounded to a pulp, like roadkill." _

"And the worst part? There were students and even teachers everywhere who saw what was happening. And they did nothing. _Nothing_." Blake's voice was hard, her hands clenched into fists. "Some of them were afraid. I could see it in their eyes. Some of them thought they were doing the right thing, putting us 'lesser beings' in our place. That we didn't belong in a school with the humans. But most of them just didn't care. " Weiss kept her gaze fixed on Blake's fists, too afraid to look Blake in the eye.

Blake continued on. "It only got worse from there. I ran home and told my parents what had happened. They immediately converged on the principal, who was just as much of a bigot as those kids. He insisted nothing was wrong and defended them. My dad flew into a rage, one of the few times I've ever really seen him do that. Security had to escort him out. While I know he meant well, for most people it just reinforced the idea that the Faunus are just violent animals that need to be caged." Blake clenched and unclenched her fists, her mouth set in a grim line. Weiss could feel the intense hatred emanating from Blake and scooted back a tad in fear, hoping Blake wouldn't notice.

Blake (of course) did. Her eyes flickered from hatred to hurt. "Weiss?"

"I—I didn't—I mean…it's just…you're…no I can't say it."

"Weiss!"

"I can't."

"Spit it out!"

"Okay! Fine! You're…you're really scary when you're angry! There, I said it."

Blake blinked. Weiss continued to remain huddled up like a ball, refusing to meet Blake's eyes.

Blake sighed, folding her arms across her chest. "I suppose that's the result of seventeen years of discrimination and hatred." When Weiss didn't respond, Blake sighed again.

"Anyway, the bullying only got worse after that. People would stare at me in the hallways, whispering among themselves, and slide their eyes away when I caught them. No one wanted to sit next to me in class. I learned to keep my head down and duck quickly. And the only highlight of the day was when I would hide out in a corner by the librarian's desk during lunch and read my books." Blake had a misty look in her eyes. "She was always kind to me. Gave some kids a hard time once for trying to mess with me, and they never touched me when I was with her. It wasn't until later on that I found out she was a faunus too."

Weiss wasn't exactly sure where Blake was going with this whole story, but she'd never heard Blake speak this many words in one sitting, and she wasn't about to interrupt that.

"It was raining that day. I did the best I could to stay under the overhang, but one way or another I got shoved out into the rain. To this day I don't know who did it. But I still remember crying and feeling miserably wet. Nobody wanted to help me gather my soaking books. And to make things worse, those third graders saw me and were heading over. I tried to scramble backward but they quickly surrounded me. And then it happened." Blake glanced over at Weiss, who looked like a lightbulb had just gone off in her head. "What?"

"I just made a huge revelation. Cats…water…it all makes sense now."

"Weiss, you're missing the point!"

"Well you were the one who asked!"

"Ugh!"

"Just get on with it! If I had known it was going to take this long, I would have stopped you at the beginning."

"You took twice as long telling your childhood!" Blake protested, throwing her arms up in the air.

"But you haven't even remotely answered my question! _How_ exactly does the White Fang relate to all of this?"

"I was _getting_ to that part when you _interrupted_ me!"

"It was _you_ who—you know what—forget it. There's no point. Go on."

"But—"

"Just _hurry up_ and finish, will you?"

Blake shot her teammate a glare, and Weiss turned her head to a side with a "Hmph!" but not before Blake caught the glimmer of curiosity in the heiress's eyes. _So she _is_ interested, just doesn't want to admit it. Typical Schnee._

Blake crossed her arms and tried to retrace where she was in the story, but all that stuck was Weiss's stupid revelation about cats and water. It was precisely those kinds of generalizations about her species that Blake hated. After all, her mom loved swimming and her dad could take on a whole pack of dogs any day.

"You were in the rain surrounded by bullies and then?" Weiss prompted.

_Oh, she was _actually_ listening too._ "Right. This second grader named Aidan came up and got between me and the lead bully. I don't exactly remember what he said. But whatever he said made those kids back down. He didn't even need to hit anyone. And they just…backed away. He took me to see his mom, who turned out to be the librarian. She had hooves, but I'd never seen them before because she always wore boots." Blake stared off into the distance with a small smile, as if remembering, then shook her head and continued on. "They were the ones that introduced my family to the White Fang." She gave Weiss a pointed look as she mentioned the organization. "At the time, the White Fang was a peaceful organization, promoting equality between humans and Faunus through nonviolent protests. We started attending rallies and marches advocating for Faunus workers rights and anti-discrimination laws. Our success was hit and miss. Sometimes we got a law passed, other times it was shot down. But it felt like we were making a difference."

"Hold up." Weiss held up a finger, getting to her feet as if she was about to recite a speech.

Blake couldn't help but glare at her for interrupting yet again. "_Now_ what?"

"Didn't we _just_ learn in Professor Oobleck's class about the Faunus Rights Revolution and how that restored all the rights to the Faunus? Why would you need the White Fang still?"

"It didn't restore _all_ the rights. It only allowed Faunus to live in the Kingdoms and not just be confined to Menagerie. It did nothing to address the 'No Faunus" establishment laws, minimum wage for Faunus, retaliation laws, etc. Many of which still exist to this day."

"Oh." Weiss frowned at the ground, seemingly puzzled about something. "I have another question, but continue first."

Blake's ear twitched under her bow. "Oookay. The next school year, my whole family moved to Menagerie so we could continue to work with the White Fang branch there. We made some progress, but it wasn't enough and people were becoming restless and frustrated. Around that time a new faction within the White Fang began to grow in popularity. They were convinced that humanity still thought of us as lesser beings and that our current measures were not doing enough. A new method was needed. If humanity would not treat us equally on the basis of mutual respect, perhaps they would do so on the basis of fear. Peace bred complacency and humans took advantage of it to continue to subjugate us. And so five years ago, a new High Leader came to power, and she was the one who suggested using violence when necessary to draw attention to our cause. Our peaceful protests became organized attacks: setting fire to shops that refused to serve us, hijacking cargo from companies squandering Faunus labor. So…yeah. There's that."

"What do you mean?"

Blake looked away, her hair hiding her eyes. "Y—you talked about an entire train car full of dust that was stolen."

"So?"

"I was on that train."

"What?!"

"Please, hear me out—"

"All this time, I was giving you the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you had left the White Fang before it became all violent. But you were _there_!"

"Weiss—"

"All the people that died, the workers and businessmen that got laid off, the cargo that was lost, its all _your_ fault!"

"I—"

"You and your stinking rotten thieving _animals_ in the White Fang!"

"_Weiss_!"

Blake shot to her feet, fists clenched in fury. Weiss was shaking with cold rage, her eyes blazing.

"_Take that back, Weiss_." Blake threatened, a dangerous edge to her voice.

"_No_." Weiss said forcefully. "If you're going to act like animals, that's what you are."

"Shut up! You don't know anything!"

"Know anything? I know everything I need to know about you, the Faunus, and the White Fang!"

"You don't understand!"

"I think I understand all there is to understand! You preach peace but kill innocent civilians in the name of discrimination!"

"I didn't _want_ to kill them!"

"But your _friends_ did, is that it?"

"They—they _were_ my friends. Not anymore."

The way Blake said it and the fact that her bow was curling inwards made Weiss take pause from her tirade. Were_ her friends? What did that even mean? Did they die?_ She didn't have to wait long for Blake to elaborate.

"It was…a complicated situation. In essence, they wanted the crew members killed. Or well, not wanted. But they didn't care what happened to them. And I did. So, I left."

"What do you mean you left?"

"I ran to the next car and severed the connection, leaving them behind."

"So _why_ are you still defending them?"

"The White Fang was always meant to be a symbol of peace and unity between Faunus and mankind. That's why its colors were always white. White for purity, innocence, and peace. That changed, but the heart of the White Fang is still the same. They want equality. Most of them anyway. But the ones who are leading it now think the only way we can achieve equality is through violence. Hence, red."

Blake watched Weiss's face intently, trying to read the heiress's thoughts. Weiss's face was scrunched in thought as she tried to process what Blake had just said.

"So you wanted equality but didn't want to kill the innocent, so you left?"

"Umm…yeah, that's a pretty good summary."

"Why didn't you just _start_ with that?"

"I—I wanted you to understand."

"Understand what?"

"What it means to be a Faunus."

"Oh." Weiss felt like she was saying "Oh," a lot today.

"The discrimination we've faced, hundreds of years ago and to this day."

"I see."

Blake waited while the gears turned in Weiss's brain. After a few long awkward moments, Weiss shook her head and came to a conclusion.

"This is too much for me to manage in a day. We will pursue this discussion more. But there is one more question I have for you."

"Alright, go ahead."

"Why the Schnee Dust Company? Why…my family?"

Blake sighed. She knew what Weiss was really asking. _Why me?_ "The Schnee Dust Company has squandered Faunus labor for years."

"But we pay the Faunus the same as everyone else!"

"Yeah, barely enough to buy a loaf of bread!"

"They're _mines_! It's not like a job there is supposed to pay well."

"How many people work in the mines who _aren't_ Faunus, huh?! Actually in the mines, not just some foreman up in Atlas."

"Well there's—" Weiss stopped short as she drew a blank, thinking. "The—wait, no they're higher up…" She started counting on her fingers muttering to herself. Blake crossed her arms and started tapping her foot.

"Well?!"

"Alright! I see your point! Though I'm sure we have humans working in the mines too. I'll have to do my own research."

"You won't find any non-Faunus people in the mines."

"So you say."

"Ugh, whatever! Look up your stupid research on your stupidly expensive laptop."

"Hey!"

"I'm _kidding_. It was a joke."

"Oh."

"Though your laptop really is extremely expensive."

"My Father's always wanted the best for me," Weiss said softly. "He…he never stopped to consider what I would want though."

Blake looked up at Weiss, who had her arms crossed as if she was hugging herself again. "And what _do_ you want?"

Weiss took a moment to respond. "I'm...still figuring that out. But I know its not whatever I had in Atlas. Things here in Beacon have been…nice. Really nice. "

Blake smiled a little. "Well, for a Schnee, you're not so bad."

"Hey!"

"You really don't know how to take a joke, do you."

"That was a joke?"

"Yes, Weiss. It was a joke."

"Oh."

"I umm…all jokes aside, I'm glad we're teammates." Blake's feet scuffed the floor. Unlike their partners, Weiss and Blake were both terrible at expressing their appreciation. Weiss raised her eyebrows, and Blake understood. "True, I wasn't at first. But…I am now."

Weiss rolled her eyes but couldn't hide a small smile on her face. "Hmph. Well, in any case, you're…a great Faunus, Blake."

Weiss saw something flicker across Blake's face for a moment before she closed her eyes and nodded once stiffly. _ She should be pleased that I said that, shouldn't she? So why isn't she?_

Blake saw the look of confusion on Weiss's face. _Crap, she thinks I didn't appreciate what she said._ "Umm…thanks, Weiss."

"Did I say something wrong?"

Blake sighed. "Its just…you called me a faunus."

"Yes." When Blake didn't respond, Weiss pressed, "I mean, that is what you are."

"Right." There was a moment of awkward silence as Weiss tried to figure out what was wrong and Blake tried to figure out what to say. "I…appreciate it, Weiss. But…I'm also a person."

"And?"

"Calling me a great faunus just sounds…demeaning."

"Oh." _This is too many "Oh" moments for one day,_ Weiss thought.

Blake saw that Weiss still looked confused, so she fumbled around for an example. "It's like…if someone were to say to you 'you're smart for a rich kid'."

"What's wrong with that?"

"It assumes that all rich kids are dumb."

"Well a lot of them _are_ dumb. They wouldn't be wrong."

"But its…nevermind." Blake sighed.

Weiss on the other hand, grew harder. "Don't 'nevermind' me, Blake. I need to understand this. Otherwise, I'll just…I'll keep…" Weiss tried to speak past the lump in her throat and her pride, but she found that she couldn't. Thankfully, Blake's high sense of intuition understood what she was trying to say.

"You're afraid you'll hurt me again. And anyone other Faunus that you meet." Weiss nodded vigorously, then hung her head.

Blake tapped her finger on her leg. "Hmm. Maybe this will make sense. Calling me a great faunus is like saying, 'oh, you're such a good kitty cat'. I'm not an animal, I'm a person."

"O-Ohh." Weiss's eyes went wide with realization as what Blake had said finally sunk in. "Right." Weiss looked straight at Blake. "You're…a great _person_, Blake. And…teammate. And…" Weiss forced herself to keep the eye contact, as uncomfortable as they both were with such intimate moments. "Friend." She looked away quickly.

Something indescribable warmed Blake's heart at Weiss's admission. She knew how difficult it was for Weiss to admit to anything. And the fact that she had just admitted three positive things about Blake made her inexplicably happy. So happy that her throat started to vibrate…

"Blake you're…purring?"

Blake's face went beet red. "N—No I w—wasn't—"

"You _are_ purring. Don't deny it."

"I—I'm not denying it!"

"Aha!" Weiss grinned triumphantly. "You admit it!"

"What?!"

"You don't deny that you're purring, so you admit that you're purring!"

"That's just you and your dumb word traps!"

"Still counts!" Weiss sang.

"Ugh, whatever! What time is it anyway?"

"My scroll is outside, if you recall."

"Oh, right." Blake reached into her pocket and pulled out her scroll. "Crap, we've only got thirty minutes until the movie starts!"

"Call Yang, maybe she can bust us out and we'll still make it in time."

"Good idea."

* * *

**I'm sorry this update took so long! It was hard for me to figure out where I wanted to go with this. There will be a final epilogue chapter. Will Weiss and Blake make the movie in time? Stay tuned to find out. As always, reviews are welcome!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Final short little blip to finish this off.**

* * *

Blake dialed Yang's number, putting it on speaker so Weiss could hear. _Ring! Ring!_

"Yo."

"Yang, we're done!"

"Great! How'd it go?"

"Fine. You gonna bust us out now?"

"…Fudgecakes and firecrackers."

"What?" Blake asked. When Yang didn't respond, Blake's eyes went wider and she exchanged a look with Weiss. "_What_, Yang?"

"So, me and Ruby, we're already at the theater…"

"Yang!"

"I'mma give the phone to Ruby now—"

"YANG!"

"Hiya!"

"Ruby, how are we getting out of here?"

"So, umm…yeah, we didn't really think through that part."

"RUBY I WILL MURDER YOU!" Weiss screeched.

"I'm sorry!" Ruby squeaked.

"You think a _sorry_ is going to make up for this? You complete dolt!" Blake simply held the phone out towards Weiss, who was far better at this sort of thing.

"I can go back real fast—"

"No, that will take too long. What's _really_ blocking us?"

"Its rigged with dog poop and your scroll—" Yang started.

"_Ruby_. Tell the _truth_."

"Just a chair! Under the door knob."

"Anything else?"

"Nope, that's it!"

"You _sure_?"

"Yeah! Oh wait, there's the desk that's keeping the chair in place."

"_Ruby_!"

"Yea?" she squeaked again.

"That's _important_ you idiot!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't think about that!"

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. Blake watched the exchange, torn between annoyance at being lied to and actually falling for it and amusement at how easily Weiss managed her partner.

"You're insufferable! Any _other_ objects we should be aware of?"

"No, I promise that's it!"

"_Promise_?"

"Promise."

Satisfied, Weiss nodded back towards Blake to finish the call as she turned towards the door.

"You are _both_ gonna pay for this. _Quadruple_ if we miss the start of the movie." Blake threatened. Yang and Ruby both started apologizing at once, to which Blake simply hung up. There would be time for that later. Right now, there was a movie to catch.

Weiss was on the floor looking through the crack under the door, which was a strange sight. Blake couldn't recall the last time the dust princess had ever touched the floor with her bare hands, much less laid on the floor and wrinkled her dress.

"Blake, I'm going to need you to shadow clone this chair out of the way. My glyphs can handle the desk easily enough, but the chair requires more subtle maneuvering."

"Sure, let me take a look."

Blake got down on the floor as the Weiss stood up and dusted herself off. "See where the foot of the chair is angled? The chair will need more than a desk removal."

"My shadow clones have no substance though. I can't move it from this angle."

"Not with your usual clone, but the earth dust one we've been practicing could work."

Blake sat up as Weiss thrust a vial of earth dust at her. "I only barely got the hang of it last week. I—I don't know—"

"You're more than capable of this."

"Can't you just use your glyphs with earth dust?"

Weiss looked to a side. "My aptitude with earth dust is…amateur, at best. I doubt I have the control to imbue it into my glyphs in the first place. You on the other hand, have already made a full clone."

"My arm was missing though!"

"True, but the rest of it was a perfect copy."

Blake still looked uncertain, so Weiss decided to try a different tactic. "You _do_ want to go to the movie, don't you?"

"Of course!"

"Then stop wasting time and just go for it!"

"But I—"

"Upupup!"

"But—"

"Upup!"

"I—fine."

Weiss nodded with satisfaction. "You know what you're aiming for?"

"Mhm."

"Alright then."

Weiss stepped back a pace, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Pointing sharply at a point beyond the door with her two fingers, she let out a, "Yah!" which was followed by a scraping sound that could only be the desk screeching across the floor and now out of the way. Blake stuck a single finger underneath the crack of the door, closed her eyes, and willed the earth dust into her semblance. A piece of rock in the shape of Blake's finger rocketed its way forward, hitting the leg of the chair with a sharp _thwack!_ The chair gave way and clattered to the floor, freeing the door handle.

Blake got up and looked at Weiss, who motioned to the door. "After you."

Blake gave Weiss a small smile before turning to the door and opening the handle. The room was a mess: books were strewn everywhere and papers and dust vials dotted the floor from where things had fallen from the desk. It made Weiss's brain itch a little at all the messiness, but her primary emotion was relief at finally exiting the closet. That, and a keen sense of urgency and a growing desire to skewer a particular redhead. It seemed Blake had the same idea about a long-haired blonde, because she immediately picked her way across the room and grabbed Gambol Shroud.

"Shall we go?"

"Skewer the sisters? Definitely."

Blake laughed and Weiss smiled, pleased with her joke's reception. "But maybe after the movie."

"Agreed."

* * *

**Finally done! Thank you to everyone who's read this through to the end. I couldn't figure out how to incorporate Blake's semblance into busting out of the closet; if anyone has any ideas let me know. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed it! **


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